Lily Evans and the Sphinx's Enigma
by Merlin's Quill
Summary: AU. Lily Evans doesn't attend Hogwarts or any other magic school. However, when Voldemort's murders begin to follow a pattern, the entire wizarding world turns to none other than Lily Evans, untrained witch yet powerful Seer, for help... Chapter 2 is up!!
1. Default Chapter

**An annoying formality:** What you haven't seen before, I own. If I told you I owned James, Sirius, Remus, and Lily (I don't want Peter, the loser scumball), would you believe me? Good, you're not senile or stupid. ^_^ Then why do I have to put this dang thing up?????

Important! Read Author's Note first!- This is an Alternate Universe fic. It will most likely not have any resemblance to J.K Rowling's story, other than her characters. So please, if you absolutely _must_ flame me at the end (Don't get me wrong--- I'm not asking for flames), don't flame me on any inaccuracies because you have been warned. Anyways…

Slightly weird. A bit angsty in the beginning, but in later chapters, it changes. This is going to have more than one storyline, adopted from many different things. Please do review and tell me what you think of this alternate universe fic. ::rubs hands together with glint in her eyes:: This is gonna be fun…

**Chapter 1:** Of Strange Dreams and Strange Men

            _A person was walking down a deserted sidewalk, his hand hidden in his trench coat pocket. Another person, who looked like Petunia, was walking towards the first man. Suddenly, the man grabbed Petunia's arm and hissed, "Give me your purse." Petunia struggled, yelling, "No! Leave me alone! Someone please help me!" but her cries went unheard down the street. She tried to kick him but missed, barely. He hissed, and pulled out a gun…_

            Eight-year old Lily Evans woke up with a start, clutching her blanket fervently to her wildly beating heart.

            "What's going on?" she whispered softly to herself.

            She remained awake for the rest of the night.

~*~*~

            That evening, Lily was leaning back on her chair at the kitchen table chewing thoughtfully on a pencil as she solved equations when her sister Petunia burst into the house, eyes wide in her gaunt, narrow face.

            "I got mugged!" she whimpered. "I was walking down the street minding my own business when this guy comes up to me, pulls out a gun, and tells me to give him my purse or he'll shoot me!"

            Lily let go of the table and toppled backwards with a thud.

            "I had my cell phone and my pager---" 

            As she got up and brushed herself off, Lily asked hesitantly, "Was he wearing a trench coat?"

            "Yes, brat. What's it to you?" Petunia snapped, angry at being interrupted. Then, she narrowed her eyes. "How'd you know?"

            "Oh, I was guessing. You know all those TV shows and stuff," Lily managed to stammer. She wasn't about to tell her parents and older sister that she had dreamed about the mugging last night. It had happened many times before ('it' referring to when she had predicted something from her dreams)--- one time, she had told them about it, but they scoffed and said it was nonsense. They even took her to see some fake psychiatrist to get her head checked.

            Sighing, Lily pushed all the bittersweet thoughts away from her mind and concentrated on solving 5(6x + 2) = 100.

~*~*~

            _Red-hot flames licked at the walls, thick clouds of smoke sliding gracefully through the halls towards its prey. Four unsuspecting people lay asleep in their beds, oblivious to the danger around them. Little by little the fire nibbled at the wood, until the entire house caved in on those still sleeping peacefully inside…_

            "No!" Lily shot straight up in her bed, beads of sweat forming on her face. "No! I won't let those people die!"

            She quickly dressed herself in jeans and a sweater and tiptoed out the front door, trying to pinpoint the location of the house. She just needed to find out whose house it was--- she would think about what to do later. The house had seemed oddly familiar---

            As the outside breeze teased her hair, the slightly pungent scent of smoke reached her nose. _Smoke--- burning wood? Burning house???_

            As she tried to find out where the smoke was coming from, she found her mind wandering to the time she and her best friend Jamie had been camping out in the woods. They had talked until dawn, roasting marshmallows over the campfire--- the smell of the smoke was similar to this, yet different… sweeter…

            Suddenly it clicked. The house was familiar. "Jamie!" Lily screamed as she raced down the street, shoes and socks abandoned and forgotten. "Jamie!"

            When Lily reached Jamie's house (which was 3 blocks away from hers), her worst fears were confirmed. She was too late.

            The charred bodies of Jamie and her 5-yr. old sister were being carried away on stretchers, hidden under sheets of white. (A/N: sniff sniff sniff)

            Firemen were still trying to combat the flames that devoured what was left of the house. Neighbors stood outside, still clad in their pajamas and either crying or looking shocked. The Ellingtons were well-known and respected throughout the town, and the night's tragic fire (A/N: I know, cliché, but oh well…) that claimed all four lives would bring all town activity to a standstill while people mourned their deaths.

            Lily sat down on a small boulder when her quivering legs felt they could hold her up no longer. _Why? _she asked fiercely, _if I do have the power to see and change the future, why am I too late? Why have they died? Why?_

            She didn't see the fireman walk towards her, still wearing his gas mask, until he stopped in front of her and took it off. When she looked up at him, she saw that his eyes were full of exhaust, concern, and--- pity.

            _I don't want your pity!_ she cried silently, yet against her will, Lily broke down into tears and sobbed, "Why? Why did she have to die? I could have stopped it! It's my fault Jamie died!"

            He sat down next to her, dangling his mask from his overly-large hand. "Who might you be, young lady?"

            *Sniff* "Jamie's---" *Sniff* "--- friend." *Sniff*

            "Jamie Ellington?"

            Nod.

            "And what are you doing here at this time of night?" *Pause* "Did you somehow--- find out--- what was going on?"

            Another nod.

            "How?"

            Lily froze, not sure whether to tell this total stranger about her dreams. After some debating of the pros and cons, Lily decided that she might as well.

            "I had a dream that Jamie's house was on fire," she answered truthfully. "I ran over here to see if it was--- true--- or not." Here Lily paused, a tear sliding slowly down her cheek. "I wish I had been here sooner."

            "Now, now, don't cry," said the fireman gently, not exactly sure of what to say to a young girl who blamed herself for her friend's death. "There wasn't anything you could do to save them."

            _Yes there was!_ Lily bit back the sharp retort dying to escape her lips. He wouldn't understand, and snapping at someone's good intentions wouldn't bring Jamie back.

            "Here, where do you live? I'll bring you back home."

            She stood up slowly and shook her head. "No, it's okay. I'll be fine. Thank you anyways."

            With that, Lily walked numbly off. The walk became quicker and soon turned into a run. When she finally reached her bedroom, she curled up beneath the covers and shook as uncontrollable sobs racked her body.

~*~*~

            From that fateful night on, Lily changed. She was no longer the cheerful, well-loved genius, always full of life, that waved and smiled at everyone she met, but a quiet, somewhat reserved child who rarely spoke or smiled. Lily loved her education more than anything else in the world--- in her diary, she often wrote that her grades and learning were the only things that kept her going, the only things tying her to life, the only things that made her want to live.

            (A/N: That was the angsty part. It's really not an angsty story, but that part was necessary for the plot, I think. And no, ppl, this is not a suicidal Lily story)

~*~*~

            Christy Evans stared at the letter that had come in the mail. She handled it as if it were a poisonous snake--- she was afraid yet compelled to touch it.

            She opened it to make sure. Yes, it was from that crackpot old fool Dumbledore and that bitch McGonagall for her daughter Lily to attend the stupid magic school Hogwarts.

            _Never_, she hissed to herself, _never. Over my dead body will my beloved daughter learn magic and die from it later. History will not repeat itself, not when I am still alive._

            She took the letter, crumpled it up, and threw it in the fireplace. It burned green.

            (A/N: Confusing? It'll get cleared up later.)

~*~*~

6 Years Later, December 22, the day before Christmas Vacation:

            "Voldemort has struck again," said Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts and many other things I don't care to list (^_^), not caring that some of the teachers flinched at the name. "The entire Brown family was killed in Godric's Hollow."

            "_The Browns?_" Professor McGonagall's hand flew to her heart. "_All of them?_"

            "I'm sorry, Minerva," said Dumbledore quietly. He and several teachers knew she had been seeing Quinton Brown, the family's oldest son and Head of the Muggle Artifacts Department in the Ministry of Magic. (A/N: Do not flame me on that! I'm making McGonagall around 30, okay?) Hyacinth Brown, the youngest of the family, was last year's Head Girl and well-loved by the teachers. The entire Brown family was extremely talented and respected in the wizarding society.

            Dumbledore continued gravely. "The Ministry has brought to my attention that these murders are following a pattern. I'm sure you have all heard of the Sphinx's Enigma?" Many teachers nodded. "We will need a Seer---"

            Professor Trelawney, the egoistic Divination teacher whom many despised (also one of the few that did not nod before), spoke up in her hazy voice. "I will take the burden upon myself and consult my---"

            McGonagall quickly interrupted before the Potions teacher, Professor Salazar, could sneer something in his oily voice that would start an argument which would lead into a duel like last time. "No, it's unnecessary, Sibyll. Keep your--- powers--- for other things."

            Trelawney sniffed haughtily. "Don't bother with the niceties, Minerva. I can tell when I am unwanted."

            "That's right. We---"

            Dumbledore, sensing another fight about to erupt, slid in, interrupting Professor Salazar's comment. "Sibyll, it's not that we don't want you; it's just that we would like a Seer who knows nothing about what is occurring at the moment. We don't want any previous knowledge to cloud his or her, ah, Inner Eye."

            Trelawney nodded slightly, accepting his reasoning but still miffed.

            The Headmaster continued. "Do we have any fully-trained Seers at Hogwarts?"

            The teachers shook their heads.

            "Any semi-trained Seers?"

            Another uncomfortable silence.

            "Not even a smidgen of power at all?" asked Dumbledore desperately.

            When no one answered, he hung his head and grimaced, deep in thought.

            Professor McGonagall hated to see him looking so forlorn, so she hesitantly stood up and said, "Well, Albus, I _do_ remember a girl by the name of Lily Evans…"

~*~*~ December 23, the next day ~*~*~

            The knock on the door startled Lily from her reading. Slowly she put down _And Then There Were None_ (an awesome, rather freaky book by Agatha Christie) and stood up, not sure whether to open the door or not because her parents weren't home.

            Curiosity won over common sense, and Lily got up to peek through the small, one-way hole.

            It was only the mailman.

            Lily sighed with relief and opened the door. What had she been expecting? An axe murderer? She shook her head sadly, laughing. The book really _was_ making her paranoid.

            "Hi! May I help you?"

            The man grunted. "Package. Bloody heavy one, too. Would you like me to bring it in for you?"

            "Sure. Follow me please."

            Lily closed the door behind her and led the man into the living room. She motioned to the floor. "You can leave it here. Would you like something to drink?" As she stood there, she fidgeted nervously, not sure if she was doing what her mother had always instructed her to do if a stranger helped her in any way. Was she being polite enough? Was she supposed to use a fancy mug or a normal glass? Was she…

            "Oh, ah, sure. Thank you."

            _He seems to be a nice man_, thought Lily. However, as she turned to walk into the kitchen, Lily noticed something in the man's coat pocket that faintly resembled--- the muzzle of a gun.

            _Well, there goes that thought_, she muttered as she stomped to the cabinet. _What's he playing at? What the hell is going on here? _

            She grabbed a cup, filled it with water, and was about to walk back out when on second thought she grabbed her beloved Lady Colt from the drawer and hid it in her pocket. She stroked the gun's smooth, cool surface and felt her nervousness ebb as her confidence began to return.

            When Lily walked back into the room with a fake smile plastered on her face, the man turned back to her with one of his own. However, if you bothered to look closely enough into his mesmerizing blue eyes, you could see bits of anxiety and apprehension dancing around.

            _He's a good actor_, thought Lily as she set the cup down on the small table. _Is he nervous about killing me or something? Wait, or maybe he's not looking for me. He might be looking around for someone else_…

            "Uhhh… Miss Evans, this may come as a shock to you---"

            "No, really," muttered Lily sarcastically under her breath, "I'm expecting to get shot at this very moment."

            "What was that? I beg your pardon. I didn't hear you."

            _Ah, nothing like a _polite (!) _hit-man to make your day_. "Oh, nothing sir."

            He cleared his throat. "As I was saying, please forgive me for my abruptness."

            The man out his hand in his pocket and started to draw--- whatever it was--- out. But Lily was quicker. She had his arm twisted behind his back and her Lady Colt out and pressing against his ribcage within a matter of seconds.

            "Drop. The. Gun." she hissed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Well… how was that? Is the mailman going to shoot Lily? Or vice versa? Or maybe he's not targeting her at all…

This is an Alternate Universe fic, so nothing's out of the question…

Oh, and remember the Sphinx's Enigma? Don't forget it because it's important. It may seem confusing now but it will be cleared up soon, possibly in the next chapter. ^_^

Please do tell me what you think about this. Does it have potential? In my opinion, this is going to be _very_ fun to write. And no, the entire story will not center on the murder pattern only. There is another storyline, involving none other than James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter (I don't like him either, but he is unfortunately necessary). It's also not what you would believe it to be…

_Please review! _

And check out my other L/J fanfics too! (Invisible Barriers and The Forest's Curse, informally known as the flying toaster story) Oh, a little note for my IB fans: Chapter 16 of Invisible Barriers will be up very, very soon, after I finish typing.

**Also, please email me at sherlock718@hotmail.com and tell me which of my three L/J stories you want me to post more of first.**

Well, tata! At least 15 reviews for the next chapter! =^_^=

~ Merlin's Quill (formerly known as The Mad Monkey with the Magnifying Glass)    


	2. Dumbledore's Story

Hey! Sorry that this chapter is overdue… I had a really bad case of writer's block for awhile, but when I managed to finish writing this chapter in my notebook, I never had the time to type it. Anyways, this chapter may be a bit confusing, but please keep reading. It should make sense as you go along. The main part of this chapter is in italics, because it's a memory, and that's all I will tell you outright, but unless you're a halfwit, you should be able to figure out whose memory it is by ::cough cough:: looking at the title of the chapter.. ^_^ Oh, also about the part in italics: the stuff in normal print is what would normally be in italics if the words weren't in italics. (The things are reversed)

This chapter seemed a little awkward to me, especially in the beginning. I think it gets better later on, though. 

PS to Rose Potter- Why'd you think the mailman was Dumbledore? I'm just curious. Could you tell me in your review?

Did anyone else think it was Dumbledore? Was I really that obvious? ::winces::

Chapter 2: Dumbledore's Story 

            The man coughed. "Miss, it's not a gun."

            Lily snorted. "Yeah, and I'm a witch who can turn people into toads. Not likely."

            "Ummm… I hate to break it to you in this way, but Lily Evans, you _are_ a witch."

            "_WHAT?_" She almost dropped her gun, but remembering the circumstances, she regained her composure and dug the muzzle in even deeper. "That's a very childish distraction technique, sir," she sneered.

            "No, I'm perfectly serious. You _are_ a witch. That's what I'm here to tell you, though I had planned to do it much differently. Now would you please let me go so I can explain?"

            Infuriated at herself for being drawn in by his calm, soothing tone, Lily jerked his arm up even higher, making him wince in pain. "No," she snapped shortly. "There's no way in hell I'm letting you go. I don't believe any of this bullshit about me being a witch. I don't know why you're here, but we'll find out soon enough at the police station, won't we?"

            The man sighed, muttered something inaudible under his breath, then said clearly, "I'm sorry, Miss Evans, but you've forced me to do this." He gave the--- thing--- in his hand behind his back a light flick and said, "_Petrificus Totalus_."

            Lily's arms and legs snapped together and she toppled backwards. The Lady Colt fell from her grasp and clanged on the wooden floor. The man picked it up in his overly large hands and turned it around, silently marveling at how a thing so small could have the potential to be so deadly. Carefully, he put it down again. 

            Lily stared up at him from the floor. She tried to speak or struggle against her invisible bonds, but it was useless. She couldn't even blink.

            The man brought the --- long stick-like thing--- out, waved it over Lily, and muttered "_Finite Incantatem_." When she felt the bonds disappear, she sprang up instantly and tried to snatch her Lady Colt off the floor, but the man was prepared.

            "_Accio gun!_" It flew up and out of her reach to land neatly in his hand.

            Lily panicked. He had her gun, and she was unarmed. _But I will fight to the death_, she told herself. She snarled and tried to tackle him, but he danced out of reach, pointed the stick straight at her, and yelled, "_Sienta te!_"

            A chair materialized out of nowhere and Lily was forced to sit in it with her arms and legs glued together. However, her head was unaffected, so she could turn her head around and yell as she pleased.

            That she did. "Release me this instant--- you--- you---"

            When he made no move to do so, Lily opened her mouth to scream but quickly closed it again when the man pointed the stick at her and said, "Please do not scream at me. You may talk, but if you scream, I will be forced to close your mouth for you."

            She didn't know why she believed him--- before, she probably would have scoffed at the idea of magic, but only a fool would do so after what had just occurred. There was no explanation for everything that had happened--- including why her butt was firmly glued to a chair that had not even existed before--- other than magic.

            If that was magic, then the stick he held was a magic wand. And that signified he was also a wizard, not some crazed murderer or hitman.

            But what was a _wizard_ doing here? And why was he holding her captive?

~*~*~

            "Now, Miss Evans, will you listen to me?" Without even waiting for an affirmative answer, he continued. "I really did not wish for our--- meeting--- to be this way, but as it has…"

            He sighed. "You have probably realized by now that I am a wizard, not some psychopath serial killer. This---" he held up the stick, "is a wand, not---" Cough. "a gun."

            "As you have been through many--- surprises--- already, this probably will not shock you very much." The man pointed his wand at himself and uttered, "_Finite Incantatem_."

            Lily watched as his hair lightened to a grayish-silver, his eyes changed into a twinkling blue, a long beard sprouted from his chin, and his mailman uniform became a majestic purple robe.

            She gaped, but was not as shocked as she normally would have been (he was right--- she had had enough surprises for one day). After all, if the man could immobilize her, summon objects, and glue her gluteus maximus to a previously non-existent chair, what was to say he couldn't make himself look like someone else?

The man cleared his throat and fished out a pair of crushed spectacles from the inside of his robes. He raised an eyebrow at them, muttered something about "cheap objects", and tapped them once with his wand. He slid the spectacles onto his nose, returned his attention to Lily, and cleared his throat once more. "Let us start over again. I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts. _You_ are Miss Lily Rose Evans of 380 Wiggle Lane, Wyndham, England. You are currently 16 years 5 months 7 days 7 hours and 5 minutes old as of this minute. (A/N: The day is December 23) You love your education more than anything else in this world, as you feel there is nothing substantial, nothing faithful, for you to cling to. You have had suicidal thoughts ever since your best friend Jamie Ellington was killed about 8 years ago in a fire—"

"Stop!" Lily cried. She closed her eyes and hung her head, mentally absorbing all the pain. No one had ever dared talk about that fateful night around her, much less put it so bluntly. 

After a brief period of uneasy silence, in a soft, controlled voice, she said, "You know that much about me?" She paused hesitantly. "That means you must know about the dreams that have been plaguing me. I am mad, aren't I? You're here to cart me off to an asylum, Hogwarts, or whatever, aren't you?"  

Dumbledore began to walk around. "Yes, it is because of your dreams that I am here, but you are far from insane. You are a Seer, and a very powerful, accurate one as well." He paused hesitantly, as if arguing with himself about whether to continue. Then, he sighed resignedly and said, "The magical world needs your help."

Now Lily gaped; if her butt wasn't glued to the chair, she might have fallen off. "_Me?_"

"Yes, you. You, Lily Rose Evans."

The shock began to wear off, and a suspicious note crept into Lily's voice. "For what?"

Dumbledore had been pacing around the room, but at that he stopped and stroked his long, white beard pensively. "You know," he said slowly, "I think it is much too difficult for me to explain. It would be best if you saw for yourself. The one thing I can tell you is that this— being— _must be stopped_."

Then, Dumbledore drew a small box-pouch from his cloak. He opened it, and Lily saw that it was filled with silvery-white— stuff. She felt her curiosity heighten. What was it? And why was it moving? 

When she bent over to peer more closely, she felt herself being drawn into the swirling mass of mist…

~*~*~

As Lily stared trance-like into the box-pouch, Dumbledore sighed subconsciously. _I will have to pull her out very soon. If she sees too much horror at once, she will most likely go insane. And we can't have a crazy Seer, can we?_ A small voice in the back of his head added, _Just Sibyll is enough_. 

Lost in his own thoughts, Dumbledore conjured up a cushy chair and slowly lowered himself into it. _What had he copied into that Pensieve?_ he asked himself. As he tried to remember, one of those memories, a particularly horrifying one from a long time ago, caught up to him---

It was a breezy summer day about 50 years ago. Dumbledore, a handsome Dumbledore 50 years younger with the same twinkling blue eyes but no beard to speak of, was crouched at the bottom of a hill under an Invisibility Cloak with 9 other fellow Aurors, doing last-minute reviewing. They were about to raid one of the most infamous Dark wizard Grindelwald's lairs, and if possible, secure him and his followers alive with a magical net. Timing was essential, because one wrong or slow move could result in failure, and possibly all their deaths.

_Tabitha Waterwing, the team leader, had a map showing the layout of the cave spread out on the ground. She was reminding them all of the positions they had to be in for the net-spell to be cast correctly, and how quickly they had to get into them._

_Finally, once she was satisfied that everyone knew what to do, Tabitha tapped the parchment with her wand and muttered, "Combustio". The map immediately disintegrated. Raising her head, she looked up at each and every one of them, and said, "When our informant steps out of the entrance, that's our signal. Drink your Invisibility Potions quickly and go. It's now or nothing. This is it, guys, what we've all trained for years for." In a softer voice, she added, "Good luck."_

_Suddenly, a pair of feet stepped out of the cave entrance and disappeared down the other side of the hill._

_The ten Aurors pulled out their hip flasks and gulped the contents, then crept stealthily up the hill. When they reached the entrance to the cave, they all split their separate ways._

_Dumbledore took the right path along with a fellow Auror named Cywyn DeMarshall. He was to be positioned in the storeroom, and DeMarshall was to be in the other room next door._

_When they got to the storeroom entrance, DeMarshall glanced at Dumbledore contemptuously and sneered in an undertone, "Don't mess this up, Albus. Get in your position as fast as you can. I'll give you half a minute before I cast my part of the spell, then you cast yours. And whatever you do, _stay put_. Do not move out of your position, got it? I still don't understand what Tabitha was thinking when she recruited you for the team. You don't have the belly for real combat magic. Why did you quit teaching at Hogwarts? Go back! Go teach the kids how to turn tables into pigs! It's only what you're good at! Why did you decide to become an Auror in the---"_

_"Cywyn, just shut up and go," interrupted Dumbledore coolly. Cywyn stomped off huffily, and Dumbledore turned to get into his position._

_Exactly thirty seconds later, Dumbledore glanced up in alarm from the niche he had tucked himself into. DeMarshall's part of the spell should have been cast by now, yet his special "intuition", a sense he had told no one other than Tabitha about and that had gotten him out of many situations before, told him there was no magic in the air. Slowly, he got up and tiptoed towards the kitchen door, where he heard voices._

_He was tempted to cast a listening spell, but refrained when he sensed a magic-detection net all around him. He would just have to resort to the old, tried-and-true method of spying— the ear against the door._

_Dumbledore jumped none too quietly and his heart thumped wildly when he head a gravelly voice say, "DeMarshall, take the damned Galleons and go. Follow my right-hand man Voldemort and the other Death Eaters out. In ten minutes, the Explosion Curse will activate, and this cave will blow up, killing everyone left—"_

_Dumbledore gulped and paled. The voice belonged to none other than Grindelwald himself. Grindelwald— Cywyn— Galleons— ten minutes—_

We had a traitor in our midst and nobody knew it. And we're all going to die because of it— unless I do something right now.

_Dumbledore's hand was sweaty as it gripped his wand. He had no choice, none whatsoever if he didn't want to be responsible for all their deaths._

_He stood up slowly, canceled the Invisibility Potion _(substantial magic could not be performed while under the effects of an Invisibility Potion)_, and yanked the door open, wand out and ready._

_Grindelwald and Cywyn just stared at him, too shocked to speak. Then, Grindelwald hissed under his breath, "You said you had him under control, DeMarshall, you idiot."_

_Cywyn gulped, then hissed back, "I _did_! It—"_

_"I don't want to hear it, you blundering fool!"_

_Cywyn's cheeks were becoming red at an alarming rate. "Albus, it's not what you—" he tried._

_Dumbledore leveled his wand at Cywyn and said calmly, "Cywyn, you're in enough trouble already. Just shut up for once, will you?"_

_Amazingly, Cywyn did. He sank down to the floor, splayed his hands in front of him as a gesture of defeat, and said in a tired voice, "Grindelwald, it's over. Give it up and surrender. We've been caught."_

_Grindelwald turned eerie, pale yellow eyes towards DeMarshall, appearing to consider his words. Then, before Dumbledore could register what was happening, much less react, Grindelwald whipped out his wand and cried, "_Avada Kedavra!_"_

_Cywyn slumped to the floor, lifeless. Dumbledore snapped back to reality and shouted, "_Avada Kedavra!_" at Grindelwald before he could turn around._

_The jet of green light struck Grindelwald, bowling him over._

_Panting, Dumbledore stared at the two lifeless figures laying prone on the cold floor. He wanted to celebrate Grindelwald's death, but he just couldn't, not with the cost. Then again, DeMarshall would have betrayed them. Maybe his death was worth it after all…_

_Suddenly, Dumbledore remembered. _Ten minutes._ How much time had already passed?_

_Dumbledore raced out of the room, thinking hard. He had to get the eight other Aurors out of the cave without alerting the other Death Eaters within about five minutes. It was utterly impossible._

_He paused, torn. Should he run and save himself, or should he try to get as many people as possible out of the cave, at risk to his own life?_

Tabitha. _Her face suddenly formed in his mind— her silky black hair, her passionate brown eyes, always full of laughter. She would take responsibility for all the deaths in this cave as the leader of the team. That is, _if_ she made it out alive._

_No, she couldn't die, he whispered fiercely, unwanted tears springing to his eyes. Not before he could propose, not before they got married, not before they raised a family, not until it was old age who would claim her life, not anything else._

_But then, reality dumped itself unmercifully on his head. A little voice infiltrated his mind and said the chances were slim he could get anyone out within five minutes. Better to save himself and be crowned a hero than to be blown to pieces in this cave._

No!_ Dumbledore shouted at the voice, angry at himself for even thinking that. He was no coward or traitor like Cywyn DeMarshall, who would gladly have killed them all for money. The very thought set fire to his blood, strengthening his resolve. If fate had it that he was to die, he would die fighting._

_Dumbledore recalled that most of the Aurors, including Tabitha, were positioned near the center room of the cave. He set off at a run._

_When Dumbledore crashed through the door, he stopped suddenly, shocked at the scene in front of him._

_The prone, lifeless bodies of eight Aurors were piled up against the wall. The only Auror left— Tabitha, Dumbledore was relieved to note before he chastised himself for his selfishness— lay magically gagged and bonded on the floor at the feet of another man, presumably a Death Eater. The stranger was _whistling_ and _twiddling his thumbs_._

_Dumbledore snapped back to his senses. "For God's sakes, _what are you doing? _This cave is about to blow up in less than three minutes, and you're here twiddling your thumbs? Are you _out of your mind?_ Or are you going to say 'What Explosion Curse'?"_

_The stranger turnedm around and flipped off his hood, revealing a familiar, pale face with red eyes and thin lips curved into a malicious grin. "Hello, Professor. Long time no see."_

_Dumbledore gaped. "Tom Riddle?"_

_The red eyes narrowed. "It's Voldemort, not 'Tom Riddle'. I've always hated that name given to me by my Muggle father. Don't call me it."_

_"So _you're _Voldemort? The one behind all those killings?"_

_"Of course. Why are you so surprised. I was the best student in your class and you knew it, as much as you didn't want to admit it. You've always been suspicious me of me anyway, unlike all the other teachers that simply fawned over me. I—"_

_Dumbledore quickly interrupted him. "Voldemort, Tom Riddle, whatever. We've got to get out of here, now. The entire cave is going to blow up." He started towards Tabitha, but stopped when Voldemort leveled his wand at him._

_"Stay right where you are, Professor. Don't worry about the curse. I already deactivated it. I'm not stupid— would I be sitting here whistling and twiddling my thumbs if that damned thing was still there? Oh, and let me inform you right now that I'm magically bonded to this pretty little lady, so if anything happens to me, she dies. A word uttered from my mouth, and she dies just the same. Now, Professor, be cooperative for the sake of your ladylove. Sit on the floor and put your hands where I can see them." When Dumbledore hesitated, looking at Tabitha, Voldemort roared. "_Now!_"_

_Dumbledore did as he was told, and sat on the floor with his hands splayed in front of him as his "captor" had instructed him, all the while locking gazes with Tabitha's frantic eyes. Suddenly he realized Voldemort was asking him a question. "Pardon me?"_

_"Oh, don't get all polite and formal with me, Professor," sneered Voldemort. "I just asked whether Grindelwald was dead or not."_

_Slowly, Dumbledore answered, "Yes." He readied himself for the 'explosion' that was sure to follow._

_To his complete and utter surprise, Voldemort threw his head back and laughed. Catching Dumbledore's surprised look, he explained, "That old codger was beginning to get on my nerves. I would have killed him later anyway, but I see you've saved me from having to duel him. I don't know whether to be pleased or angry. It was always 'Do this' or 'Do that'. Finally, I am my own man. You know, the Death Eaters respected him, but they feared me. Now they will both." With that, Voldemort's lips twisted into an evil, ungodly grin. "I am 'Lord Grindelwald's servant' no longer. I am Lord Voldemort, the leader of the Dark Side!" _

_Dumbledore's hand has started to inch towards his wand, half-hidden beneath the fold of his robe, while fervently wishing Voldemort would keep himself occupied and not notice. Unfortunately, fate had other ideas._

_"So you still have your wand. Tsk tsk. How careless of me to forget." Suddenly, Dumbledore thought he saw a mischievous glint in Voldemort's eyes, and gulped. When someone like Voldemort was in a mischievous mood, he would have hightailed it out of there as fast as he could, that is, if he could. "Throw it over into the corner, Professor."_

_When Dumbledore hesitated, Voldemort squatted beside Tabithat, whose passionate brown eyes were clouded with pain and fright, and stroked her hair. "Do it now," Voldemort said calmly, a bit _too_ calmly, "or your sweetheart here will get blown to pieces. Actually, I'll make you a deal. Do everything I say, and she will not suffer. Otherwise… I can perform the Cruciatus Curse quite efficiently, have you heard, Professor? One…two…"_

_Hastily, Dumbledore threw his wand into the corner of the room._

_Voldemort laughed, making both Tabitha and Dumbledore shiver involuntarily. Suddenly, he jumped to his feet, whipped out his wand, and shouted, "_Avada Kedavra!_"_

_Tabitha Waterwing, only twenty-seven years old, slumped to the ground._

_Voldemort kicked her lifeless body, and twisted his thin lips into a half-sneer, half-grin. In a voice dripping with contempt, he said, "I am a man of my word. She did not suffer; she's just dead. And, Professor? I was never bonded to her in the first place. You old fool, you believed me. You lost your one and only chance to kill me, Dumbledore." With that, he laughed and Apparated away._

_Dumbledore, still in shock, could only stare at his love's lifeless body. "Voldemort, I will personally kill you one day, you lying son of a bitch," he whispered._

_Then, he broke down, sobbing for the first time in his life ever since Grindelwald had murdered his parents close to ten years ago. It had been his ambition to kill Grindelwald with his own hands, something he had sworn he would do. That was why he had resigned from teaching at Hogwarts and become an Auror. And he had fulfilled that ambition— but at a very high price._

_Albus Dumbledore knelt in that room, sobbing and cradling Tabitha Waterwing's still, limp body in his arms even after law enforcers from the Ministry of Magic and reporters from various magical newspapers arrived at the scene. No one knew whether to mourn or rejoice— Lord Grindelwald had finally been brought down that day, but at a grievously high cost. Nine Aurors were dead, and the magical community was in shock._

Lily's own sobs finally broke through Dumbledore's trance. He quickly wiped the tears in his own eyes before walking over to Lily and lightly shaking her. "Miss Evans, come back. Miss Evans, you must come back now."

When Lily finally cracked open her own eyes, still shivering with the cruel horror of it all, Dumbledore saw a new light of understanding in her eyes. It comforted him. He presented her with a handkerchief as he wiped his own eyes. The two just sat there, staring off into space as they remembered.

Finally, Lily broke the silence. "I suppose that was one of your memories?"

Dumbledore nodded, unable to speak. He closed his eyes and bowed his head, trying to get himself under control, as Lily waited patiently. Finally, he said, "The thing you looked into is my portable Pensieve. A Pensieve is a place to keep your thoughts. Most of the memories in there are copies from my larger Pensieve, but the last one you saw I still have in my own head. Yes, it brings about innumerable grief whenever I think about it, but I feel it is much too important to just cast away. Also, I cannot part with the last images of Tabitha." He turned his head away to hide his tears.

Lily felt a surge of strong feelings well up inside of her— sympathy and grief for the old man in front of her, who suddenly looked even older, if that was possible, unaccountable amounts of anger at that _being_, and the urge to avenge his love's death. In a calm yet somewhat tight voice, she said, "I suppose that evil being, Voldemort, is the one you were talking about before? The one you said must be stopped?"

"Yes, that is him— Lord Voldemort." Another silence ensued, but this one was broken by Dumbledore. "After that day, I gave up my career as an Auror, and returned to teaching at Hogwarts. I was hailed as a hero, but I didn't want the fame or the glory. At that time, all I wanted was revenge. Now, over the period of several decades, it has simmered down a little bit, but Voldemort _must be stopped_. Over three hundred deaths are credited to his name. Recently, we have found a pattern to his murders— a famous, or infamous, I should say, pattern called the Sphinx's Enigma. Only a very powerful and accurate Seer can interpret it. The magical community needs your help, Miss Evans. Will you give it?"

Lily raised her head and looked Dumbledore straight in the eyes. "Yes," she whispered fiercely, "for Tabitha and the Browns, I will do it."

Then, she blinked, surprised. "Browns? Were they people murdered by Voldemort?" When Dumbledore nodded, she asked, "How did I know that?"

"Miss Evans, you are a Seer."

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Yay! Chapter 2 is finally finished! I decided not to have a cliffie in the end— I'll save that for later chapters. lol

Anyways, please review! At least 50 for the next chapter!

 


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